NASCAR implements changes for Talladega to prevent airborne crashes
CONCORD, N.C. — NASCAR is implementing changes to increase the liftoff speed of the cars and prevent airborne crashes, starting this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway.
There are three changes involving parts that teams will add to their cars. NASCAR will supply all of these parts to the teams:
Rocker skirt
Right-side roof flap fabric
Right-side roof rails extended to 2 inches with polycarbonate
These changes come after Michael McDowell went airborne in turn one at Daytona International Speedway late in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 last month. On the next restart after a caution for McDowell’s wreck, Josh Berry went airborne on the backstretch and crashed into the inside wall while upside down.
Both drivers were OK.
Drivers ran passenger-side air deflectors – or shark fins – on their cars in that race, in the wake of Corey LaJoie’s bizarre airborne wreck by himself at Michigan International Speedway the week before. The shark fins are on the rear windshield and the decklid of each car.
All cars have had this configuration since 2010, initially on superspeedway tracks after each Talladega race in 2009 had an airborne wreck, but on all tracks after Brad Keselowski went airborne and flipped at Atlanta in March 2010. While the wing was blamed for the airborne wrecks, NASCAR implemented the full shark fin configuration as an extra device to keep the car on the ground.
Discover more from The Racing Experts
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com